July 30, 2010

Mazda Attempts to Recapture Customers with New Facebook Game. But Does it Have Rapping Hamsters?

InsideFacebook reported today about the new Mazda social media campaign—this time using game application within its Facebook profile.

The game, called DriverVille (how else), is well designed and utilizes textbook game mechanics including levels, monetary icons (“Driver bucks”), customization features, and collected prizes and tools (Cowboy boots) to help advance the player to the cavorted prize—a Mazda2.

Mazda has been a pioneer in the way it connects with its target audiences, all the way from its Zoom-Zoom campaign. When it comes to the Gen Y demographic, companies like Ford and Kia, who target similar audiences, have ramped up their social media channel activities and have gotten better at their integrated marketing approach.

Kia’s TV commercial featuring hamsters rapping “This or That” has been a success with over 2.3M views on YouTube alone. Kia’s integrated marketing campaign includes a Facebook page, YouTube channel, twitter, and the traditional TV spot. The recent 60-second commercial has been extremely sticky.

Choosing DriverVille as its campaign indicates one of two things: either Mazda has figured out that its current (or desired) Facebook fans are of the video-game player demographic or, it is trying to focus on this GenY sub-segment to differentiate itself and carve a bigger slice of the pie.

Either way, it will be interesting to see how Mazda ties this channel with its other marketing activities and whether it too can create a buzz that sticks on your mind once you experience it like “This, or that” has.

Comments

That's a pretty good marketing tactic. Personally I am not into those Facebook games at all but Farmville and the like seem immensely popular. It's smart of Mazda to incorporate that into their marketing since both young and old folks appear to enjoy those type of games.